Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-03-03
AG-PICKING CLASSES.
The Blue Blood Owners of Horses
and Wagons.
Aristocrats OF the Hand Cart-The Com
mon Rummagers of Early Morning
and Late Understanding Life
Near the Dumps.


Near the Dumps.
Rag-pickers form very important
element OF the ousy population of a
great city like Brooklyn, and a careful
observation Of their methods will re-
veal some curious and interesting facts.
They are properly divided into four dis
tlrct classes, each having separate
field OF action and seldom infringing
upon the territory of the other divi-
slons OF the fraternity. The first class
who could quite properly be called the
upper ten of ragpickerdom includes
the itinerant dealers who conduct their
business by means of dilapidated look
ing horses and wagons. They would
undoubtedly Indignantly resent their
classification with ordinary rag-pick-
ers, but candor compels me to name
them as such. They pay an annual
license fee. Of three dollars for the priv
ilege OF buying the city's rubbish, and
accor.d ding to the last years returns 529
Were permitted to roam through our
highways. They paya higher price for
goods than the men who propel the
hand-carts, and frequently hire shops
of their own for assortment and stor-
age of their purchases. They generally
carry on thriving business, and from
long experience and acquaintance know
where the choicest rags are found.
They have regular dates for calling on
small tailoring establishments in order
to secure the cuttings and trimmings
which are too small to be used by rag
carpet manufacturers. They also get
the pickings of small shirt factories,
printing houses, book binderies and a
score of similar establishments.
The second class comprises the army
of hand-cart dealers who can be seen
every day pushing their trucks, adorned
with from one to a score of motley
shaped, sized and toned bells, along in
front of them. They are avaricious in
their dealings, manage to live in mod
crate circumstance and are willing to
purchase number of articles which
most people classify as rubbish. But
what is rubbish to some people is gold
to others. Old bottles, rags, rope, iron
and other metals, bones and old car
pets and multitude of similar articles
are thus bought by the thousands of
pounds daily. This class is always
well posted in the tricks of the trade,
and have certain streets which they
have drummed for years. BY long ex-
perience they learn which of their Gus
TONERS will sell their rags at any price,
and which will haggle with them over
the last penny. They often find I'M
expected treasures in their purchases,
and rarely return any thing val
liable that thus comes within
their clutch. One of these peddlers
once discovered among bundle of
rags he had purchased an old coat
which was almost equal to a modern
safe deposit vault. For, on ripping
open the dilapidated garment, he
found, securely sewed in the Innings,
several hundred dollars worth of bank
notes. Astounded by this unexpected
revelation, he made further investiga-
tons, which showed that the buttons
were five dollar gold pieces neatly COW
cred with cloth. That there are peo-
pile who prefer to hide their money
about their house or clothing, rather
than risk it in savings banks, which
pay such small percentage on de-
posits, can not be doubted. Although
occurrences like the above are few and
far between, yet prizes beside money
are frequently secured in their bar
gains, A patent door lock may be
thrown among the refuge, or a gold
thimble may be lost among the rags,
or, perhaps, a favorite servant is given
the profits of the rag-bag sales, and,
in her desire after wealth, consigns ar
ticles to the trash bag that my lady
would be quite unwilling to consider
rubbish.
We now come to the third class OF
ragpickers, who are by far the most
numerous and most aggressive in their
methods. / refer to the rummagers
who are abroad early in the morning
and late at night, overhauling our ash
cans and ash barrels. They are most
ly Italians, and carry huge bags and
long iron hook, not unlike stove
poker. They are numbered by the
thousands, are almost unacquainted
with the laws and customs of this coun.
try, live in the poorest class OF tene-
ments, and by the most stringent econ
omy and industry manage to save
up quite respectable bank accounts.
The Unborn passions of the italian race
are but little modified by our climate,
or by contact with our people, and
fatal ARRAYS are of frequent occurrence
among them. They are clannish. pre-
serve their national customs. subsis'
on the cheapest food and endure pm.
yations and hardships that would al